The Lion, the spirit and the plan

The Currie Cup comes to end, and the Sharks really showed themselves to be true champions with a superb, measured and unified performance on Saturday. Those of you who have been following this column for the last few weeks will know that having been involved with the WP u21 side this season, I have been focusing my thoughts on that, but no doubt the thoughts are relevant across the board. A great season was capped off for the boys with a resounding win over the Bulls. Although not a complete 80 minute performance, the guys did well for large parts and really showed some true spirit and skill to take the spoils. I wouldn’t say that the win was purely mental, as I believe the side possess immense skill, but I’ll give some insight into why I think they came out on top.

Firstly, in a final belief is key, you need to possess confidence in your ability not only as an individual, but also in your team mates. This is built up through the way you prepare, the way you play and your attitude towards your game. That confidence and pride of a lion really shows up in those guys who perform at their best in these big games. It was fascinating to see some of the players in the side who showed that they belonged at a higher level when it really counted. I always believe true greats show their class when it matters most, and will back themselves on the big stage. How do get that belief is another long story, but an interesting one at that.

The spirit of a team has almost become a clichéd reason for success. How often do you hear people waxing lyrical about their superb team spirit. Stefan Terblanche in his post-match interview on Saturday pointed to his team’s spirit as a reason for their success. It seems something that almost gets taken for granted though, and I believe that team spirit is something that takes real effort from all concerned to forge, and that without leadership that recognises the need for team spirit, this spirit will not occur. I have seen the mastery of John Dobson at work first hand this season – a man who has built a dynasty at UCT with modest resources and who was able to create a spirit within the WP boys second to none. I have no doubt that although talented, without that spirit the trophy may be somewhere else. Spirit creates added motivation, enjoyment and trust in teammates, all of which lead to victories!

Lastly, is the plan. The only surety in a big game, is the occurrence of mistakes. What is key is how you react to them. The WP boys were made to plan for this mentally in the week, and to go through numerous scenarios in their minds so that when they did occur they had prepared and knew how best to react. They had also created some pointers for themselves before the game, earlier in the week so that when the emotion of the big game kicked in during the warm up, they had their own, self-constructed calm advice to fall back on. This may not work for everyone, but to see guys referring to their notes just before kick off showed without doubt that they believed in their own preparation, which served to help with their confidence before the game.

A truly great win for the boys, and I have no doubt a learning experience for all of them. There are some future greats in the side that will be well worth watching out for. What a privilege it was to work with them.